One of the steps in Zentangle® is to start by drawing a 'string', lines that divide your page into sections, which you can then fill with various tangle patterns.
The most common method of creating a Zentangle string is to imagine you've dropped a string on the page, and draw the lines. Or you can use templates such as those provided at Tanglepatterns.com.
Occasionally, I like to use a landscape as the basis for a string. Recently, a friend of mine, Lynne Howard, posted a beautiful photo she'd taken, and I thought it had the potential for a great string. With her permission, I share it with you, and I'll show you the two ways I used it.

In this photo, the elements create shapes. The shape of the waterfall, the river, the trees, the bank.
I didn't worry about details, and there was no effort to make my drawing look like the photo.
I simply drew the outlines of the major shapes.

Once I'd drawn the shapes, I put the photo aside and just tangled whatev…

I've had one of the Tattered Angels Antique Hickory Paint system kits for a while now, and have been looking for the chance to use it. I decided to give it a try for one of my Rhodia Journal Swap pages. The left side of this spread was done with distress ink pads, and on the the right I used the kit. The image was stamped using the Viva Las VegaStamps! Griffin Wall Sconce Item 5741 Plate 594. Unfortunately, the glazes in the kit made the page very glossy. The scan makes it looks like the page is rippled and the stamping very hazy and it isn't. Just the way the light picked up the page, darn it! I was able to get a slightly clearer photo of part of the page using a camera, but mostly you'll have to take my word for it. The Faux wood effect is pretty cool! If you follow the kit directions and heat dry at the right time you are supposed to get some crackling, but I couldn't find my heat tool. Still, I really like the faux wood effect, and it has a lovely texture to the…

I sat down intending to do one of my typical Zentangle®-Inspired-Art works. Then Nessie the sea monster popped up, and then Bessie, the mutant chicken. And Chessie, the Cheshire cat and it all went downhill from there.

I don't know where these critturs came from. Really, I don't.

And so you don't have to turn your head at a 90-degree angle, I'll show you the post sideways, in case you can't find some of the critturs. Even then you might have to look closely. Critturs like to hide in plain sight, don't you know.

I thoroughly enjoyed my recent trip up and down the Oregon Coast, but I did find that I wasn't as inclined to do much artwork after a day of driving. I did get a little watercolor done--mostly jsut dinking around even more than usual.
While visiting the Tillamook Cheese Factory, I picked up a Cow Poo journal. I know-aNOTHer journal? But how could I resist? I have elephant poo journals, but no cow ones. Now I just need to find a Pando Poo journal.
The cow poo paper is fairly thick and spongy and so obviously NOT meant for watercolor. So, me being me, I started the journal with a watercolor page. Surprise!
It was incredibly hard to paint on this paper. It sucked up the water like a--well...a sponge. While wet, it color looked horrible. It bled through to the back of the page. I was sure I'd ruined the page. And then the watercolor dried.
Wow. It looks half-way decent. I wasn't expecting that at all.
I doubt I'll do any more watercolor in this book--it'…

Every Saturday morning Unscripted Sketches post a layout sketch, with a challenge for you to use it and link-up for others to see how it's been used. I've eyed it for a while, thinking I should try to incorporate one of the sketches into something I'm doing. You know how it is.

You think you should do it, but life is busy, and you just don't.

This week however, when I looked at the sketch, I had a flash of inspiration.

One of my favorite songs is the Louis Armstrong version of What a Wonderful World. Since the theme for the Rhodia Journal Swap is 'favorite things', I wanted to draw something based on the song.

My apologies--I could not get my tablet to upload my photos. It worked on my Wordpress blog but not here. Even though I have all the envelopes done now, I decided to just put the posts on hold until I arrived home.

The winner of my giveaway for some Amazing Mold Putty and Amazing Clear Cast Resin is Traci F!

Traci has responded and is waiting for her prize package to be delivered.

I really wish everyone could have won because I've had so much fun playing with my AMAZING products. But... even though I can't give you all a prize package, the Amazing Crafting Products by Alumilite Corporation has generously offered a coupon for my readers!

Follow this link: http://www.moldputty.com/products.cfm and type in Coupon code: 'amazingmay' to get 20% off purchases from the Amazing Crafting Products by Alumilite Corporation.Coupon is good until May 31st.

Wow! How time flies when you're having fun. It's time to tryout for the Viva Las VegaStamps! Design Team again. Our intrepid design team leader, DeeDee, asks that we choose three projects that we believe represent out best. So I'll start out with a Blast from the Past...

One that was published in a magazine... and one that just tickles my fancy!

Hmmm. All rather strong with the yellows! But I do use other colors! Truth! If you have any interest, please consider applying. Viva Las VegaStamps! has a tremendous number of stamps of all genres. They look for all different styles of work. You might be just what they are looking for. May 30th is the DEADLINE to apply to the Viva Las VegaStamps! Design Team Call. You don't have to create something new--just show your best. CLICK HERE for DETAILS.